Hurley adopts $3.82M budget

HURLEY, N.Y. >> Town Board members have adopted a $3.82 million budget for 2024 that carries a 3.66% decrease of $144,788.

The spending plan was adopted during a meeting Monday and includes a $2.35 million property tax levy that is unchanged from 2023.

Salaries in the budget are unchanged for the supervisor at $28,000; four Town Board members at $6,000 each; clerk at $48,890; and highway superintendent at $54,675. The only elected positions with a change are two justices at $20,850 each, for a 3.01% increase of $610.

Among changes in the budget are deep reductions in code enforcement expenses, which are put at $17,259, an 86.1% decrease of $106,921.

“Zoning enforcement officer was on a separate budget line this year but that was more of a function of necessity because the full-time building inspector was out on medical leave and we needed to have another person staff the office,” Supervisor Melinda McKnight said.

The budget expects that there won’t be costly challenges and studies during the coming year.

“There was a lot of unresolved issues (this year) with the Planning Board,” McKnight said. “There were a number of applications that were in various states of process and required additional planner and potentially some additional legal work.”

Planning costs are proposed at $28,908, a 57.55% decrease of $39,192.

Other changes in the budget include:

• Snow removal at $503,000 for a 12.6% increase of $56,280.

• Medical insurance at $480,462 for a 2.19% increase of $10,297.

• Highway repairs at $437,600 for a 14.8% increase of $56,400.

• Highway machinery at $200,100 for a 10.78% increase of $24,165.

• Highway garage at $135,600 for a 3.83% decrease of $5,400.

• Retirement costs at $125,000 for a 0.08% increase of $100.

• Social Security at $124,678 for a 31.08% increase of $29,559.

• Solid waste disposal at $236,240 for a 7.32% decrease of $18,656.